November 5, 2019
A new Trump administration rule could hurt LGBTQ youth in foster care
Foster care agencies could soon turn away prospective foster parents because they are gay or trans, thanks to a rule proposed by the Trump administration on Friday. The rule would remove language protecting LGBTQ people and others from discrimination in programs funded by grants from the Department of Health and Human Services, according to the Washington Post.
The change would apply to a wide range of programs, including those aimed at HIV prevention and treatment for opioid addiction and other substance abuse. But advocates say it appears targeted at the child welfare system, where it could have devastating effects, including keeping children from finding homes and even funneling them into the prison system.
“If you turn away a qualified, loving family that wants to open their home to a child, then you’re not placing a child,” Denise Brogan-Kator, chief policy officer of Family Equality, a group that advocates for the rights of LGBTQ families, told Vox.
Because the change is broad, it would also allow programs to discriminate on the basis of religion — for example, by refusing to allow non-Christian couples to adopt or foster children. It could also allow foster care agencies to refuse to take in gay or trans youth. [more inside]
The touchdown did not count, of course
A black cat appeared on the playing field during a Dallas Cowboys–New York Giants game. Announcer Kevin Harlan's call was purr-fect. (Cindy Boren, WaPo). Youtube also has Harlan's call, along with another video of fan reactions (including non-human fans).
Gimme some money
After indications that a settlement was close, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Rob Reiner have settled their copyright and royalties dispute with Universal Music Group over the soundtrack to This is Spinal Tap. The dispute previously: Sadly, Reiner already made the "up to 11" joke.
Australia Needs a Green New Deal
Australia is a climate wrecker on a global scale. With a government long beholden to mining interests, calls for climate justice fall on deaf ears. But plans for a Green New Deal are not just necessary — they’re achievable. Dino Varasso for Jacobin. [more inside]
Michael Gillespie, the the Ransomware Superhero from Normal, Illinois
At Nerds on Call, [Michael] Gillespie was known as the Swiss Army Knife for his versatility. So when a client was hit by TeslaCrypt ransomware in 2015, Gillespie was assigned to recover the files. That's the brief origin story of the Ransomware Superhero from Normal, Illinois (ProPublica), who has created 90% of the decryptors available on BleepingComputer, and is the coder of ID-Ransomware, where his log of ransomware decryption requests has helped the FBI, particularly in last year’s indictment of two Iranian hackers (Justice.gov) wanted in connection with SamSam ransomware. [MalwareHunterTeam previously.]
"It's a health issue, an environmental issue, a child care issue..."
Too many American have no vacation days, or very few, or they are not paid enough to enjoy them properly. Too many Americans work hundreds of hours of unpaid overtime, or are forced to choose between parenthood and employment. Too many Americans are spending their twilight years in front of a cash register because they can’t afford a real retirement. But it doesn't have to be this way. The Leisure Agenda : a set of policy platforms designed to decrease overwork and increase personal time. Agenda in brief. Related: " 4-Day Workweek Without A Drop In Pay Boosted Workers' Productivity By 40%, Microsoft Japan Says." Previously
Caps Lock: Cruise Control For Rebranding
It has not been a good year for the beleaguered Facebook - with critics highlighting the power the company wields, their policy to allow candidates to lie blowing up in their face most spectacularly, and a general sense by the public of distrust, the firm's image is in need of repair. Thus, we have Facebook looking to rebrand...to FACEBOOK. (SLThe Guardian)
“And the Oscar goes to...Robert Pattinson’s French accent.”
Robert Pattinson: The Movie Star Who Became a Character Actor [The Ringer] The narrative of Pattinson’s rebranding from multiplex sex symbol to art-house axiom is by now well-established: Both he and Kristen Stewart have, largely through their own confident and self-possessed artistic decisions, emerged from the Twilight zone as critically acclaimed actors. Their incredible successes at a young age mean they’ve had the career security to follow their whims. While some might wince at Pattinson’s after-the-fact contempt for his star-making role, the choices he’s made since the franchise came to an end are those of an actor less interested in living something down than measuring up to standard: In his best work, Pattinson stands tall.” [more inside]
I Said Marvel Movies Aren’t Cinema. Let Me Explain.
Martin Scorsese explains his views on the difference between cinema as art and the superhero-industrial complex: “aesthetic, emotional and spiritual revelation”—“confronting the unexpected on the screen and in the life it dramatized and interpreted, and enlarging the sense of what was possible in the art form.” [NYT]
Don’t Be a Jerk to Your Online Humor Editor
Since 2007 I have been the editor of McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. I receive anywhere from 200 to 300 submissions a week, and I try to read and respond to each and every one of them within five to seven days. A small percentage of my replies are acceptances, but the overwhelming majority are not. I’ll be the first to admit that sending rejections is a lot easier than receiving rejections, but just the same, “killing dreams” is not something I look forward to. Even less fun is when I receive the occasional vitriolic reply from an angry writer.
Previously:
The Ultimate Rejection Letter.
One Job Candidate’s Response to a Rejection Letter.
Previously:
The Ultimate Rejection Letter.
One Job Candidate’s Response to a Rejection Letter.
Teens explaining historical events to each other in 15 second videos
literally obsessed with teens posting history tiktoks so here’s a thread (Twitter thread by Nadia Jaferey). The Guardian’s Poppy Noor asked her old history teacher Izzy Jones what she thinks of teens making short videos about history.
The ThreeBeeps rule the charging station by the Met Museum of Art
“We’ve been safely coexisting with the feral self-driving scooters for over a decade. They’re part of the cityscape now, the last remnants of the scooter craze of 2021, sky-blue scooters that cruise the streets in solitude or cluster around their charging stations on the edge of Central Park, rippling their rainbow LEDs and beeping occasionally. It’s true that the scooters have developed survival strategies that may not always prioritize the safety of their riders. But as a behavioral ecologist, I’m convinced that humans and scooters can adapt to each other and that removing the feral scooters from Central Park would be a mistake.”Janelle Shane (previously: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) writes a New York Times op-ed from 2031: We Shouldn't Bother The Feral Scooters Of Central Park:
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